Northlanders thanked for donation of over $300,000 to Northland Rescue Helicopter service

Northlanders dug deep and donated more than $302,000 to the 2023 Northland Rescue Helicopter annual appeal and the funds are used for daily operations and helicopter maintenance. Photo/ John Stone

The generosity of Northlanders is being acknowledged after more than $302,000 was donated to help a lifesaving service.

Northland Emergency Services Trust chairman Paul Ahlers said he was amazed to see how people dug deep in their pockets for their annual fundraiser last year.

“Just shows how highly the service is valued by Northlanders and visitors to our region.

“This is the fourth consecutive year that our community have raised over $300k during our appeal period from October to Christmas and we are so grateful for that kindness,” Ahlers said.

Given how tough the times have been for people, he found their continued support “overwhelming”.

Fundraising and marketing manager Jan Hewitt shared the same sentiment and said she was “blown away” by the generosity of Northlanders 36 years after the service was established.

“Year in, year out our local community supports us most amazingly, whether it is doing a fundraiser on our behalf, donating some coins or cash, or sponsoring us in some way,” said Hewitt.

She acknowledged the support of local businesses, first responders and volunteer staff who helped fly the flag for the many operations.

Northland Rescue Helicopter is said to have flown 1015 missions last year and has responded to over 28,000 callouts since it began in 1988.

The money raised from the annual appeal was used for daily operations and maintenance purposes.

Hewitt said organising fundraising events was a “good way” for the public to meet their team.

“We really enjoy having people drop by our Fieldays stand with Northland Federated Farmers and hearing stories of when they were injured or ill and needed the help of one of our rescue helicopters.

“Those interactions are often very emotional and are a good reminder of why the work of our engineers, pilots, paramedics and office staff are crucial to running a lifesaving charity like ours so well,” she said.

With the trust needing around $2 million to run rescue operations every year, people wanting to donate can visit https://www.nest.org.nz/donate.

To find further details on what the Northland Rescue Helicopter team are up to visit https://www.facebook.com/northland.rescuehelicopter.